


Monster Mirror (A Power Rangers Fanfic)

by Maximusmax



Category: All - Fandom, Power Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 19:48:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29656413
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maximusmax/pseuds/Maximusmax
Summary: In a parallel reality, Villains have nearly destroyed almost all life on Earth. The so-called monsters, mutants, and aliens of the world did their best to halt their rampage, until only five were left to stand against the most powerful of their foes. These five legendary masters found the last human on earth and raised him among them, teaching him their ways of combat and magic and augmenting him with advanced science to help him survive. Finally, the day came where the Greatest Evils the world had ever seen unleashed a final assault on the planet's defenders. With the last bit of their powers, the five masters banished the Evils from their reality, only to realize that they might have doomed another world. Using their remaining life energy, they tapped into the Morphin Grid and bestowed upon their child the ultimate power of their enemies: the power to Morph! Now, carrying his teachers' wishes into the new reality, he wanders his new world, searching for his enemies to show them the Monster that they had made.
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

In a reality none too far away from our own, the sun was setting on a little purple and green ball called Earth. This planet had seen much suffering and war in the last century, scarring the landscape and forever changing the course of its history. Until finally, at the cost of five great champions, peace had been won for the world and with it brought a new chapter for the world. 

So too did it bring a new chapter for one young man those five called disciple, son, and heir, while others called him The Last Son of Earth, but to his friends his name was merely Seth. And it was near the outskirts of one of the few remaining great kingdoms, The Kingdom of Mariner, that Seth finds his story starting. Standing a bit above average height, his fighter's body was honed by years and years of intense martial training, evident even with a thick jacket covering his form. Though a scar over his right eye marred his face, with his jet black hair and clear green eyes, many would still find him handsome. Though at the moment sadness clouded his face, as he said his farewells to a lot of things.

_ At least for a while, _ Seth thought as he stood at the edge of the purple water. Watching the poisonous tide roll back and forth as it washed over his boots, thinking about what had happened over the past week—unknowingly grabbing his gloved right hand tight as his chest burned.

Suddenly, a spiked whale breached the surface of the water, entirely at ease in water that was designed to kill a human within hours. But Seth wasn't in the mood to appreciate it as anger bubbled inside him.  _ Only a twisted mind like yours Hazard would create a magic potion to turn the oceans into massive pools of poison to kill humans and mutate sea life. I will destroy you! I will destroy all of you!  _ He promised as he started to grip his hand tighter as a dark aura appeared around him, flickering in rage—a growl like a large predator echoing in his throat.

"Control, my friend. Remember the teachings of your masters,” a voice called out from behind him. Hearing the familiar voice, Seth took a deep breath and counted for a moment before exhaling. And just as quickly as it came, the aura receded into Seth as calm as the water in front of him. "That's better. I would hate to have to defeat you once again. Leaving on such a sour note might ruin our friendship."

Letting a small laugh, Seth turned towards his old friend and smiled.

"I believe you can say you have beaten me once we aren't tied up,” he said to the red-haired man in princely robes walking towards him with a smile. Giving a small chuckle at his friend's truthful retort, The Prince of Mariner came to a stop by his friend before stooping down and, using his hands, took up the seawater, drinking it. 

"It irks me to no end that something so vile freed my people from their weakness to water,” he said, growling at how sweet the water was for him. "How much hate did she have for her kind to make such a thing?" 

"I will be sure to ask her before I remove what little heart still beats in her chest,” Seth said, gritting his teeth before taking another breath. "They must pay for what they have done, Olympius." 

"They will, my friend," Olympius said, clapping Seth on the shoulder. "But I do wish I could go with you. Or at the very least, let me give you my Star Power."

"No, dear friend," Seth said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a wrapped bundle. "I have enough power without outside help." He finished squeezing the bundle, mind heavy with a thousand thoughts, as he put it back. Olympius gave his friend a look before turning to face the ocean allowing the silence to linger for a moment.

"So should I call you Ser Seth, now?” Olympius asked as a grin appeared on his face. Causing Seth to groan as he heard his new title, which his Teacher had passed down to him. "Or perhaps Ser Seth the Knight Wolf?"

"I will destroy you and save this kingdom from the chaos of your future reign, you demon." Seth said, groaning more as his friend kept going.

"Better than what Lothor would have done had he seen all those races, standing around, crying over him. He would have turned as red as dragon fire," Olympius said with a smile that Seth couldn't help but match. Imagining the emotional Ninja Grandmaster blushing at the love people had for him made Seth laugh before he knew it.

"The worst part is when Xandred-sensei would have demanded more sake be poured out to honor his most chivalrous and humble self," Seth said amidst his laughter, causing Olympius to break out in his laughter of his own. As though joining them, the wind blew around them, ruffling Seth's hair like his guardians used to, and for a moment, the world was good as their laughter echoed for a bit. 

"Seth, come in, Seth. You better not have me on vibrate again,” a digital female voice sounded from his wrist. Standing up with a sigh as he wiped the laughter tears from his eyes.

"I hear you, AGI,” he said, bringing up his right hand and speaking into a bracelet under his sleeve.

"Good. The portal is ready and stable for transport at any time." AGI said, causing Seth's eyes to turn gold for a moment before turning back.

"And you're sure it will work?" Seth asked his oldest friend, a little nervous at reality hopping.  _ Well, it wouldn't be the oddest thing I have ever done. But somehow, training in the Underworld sounds a lot safer. _

"I have calculated and re-calculated the math. There is a 99.8% chance of success. My math is flawless, she replied with confidence in her voice as Seth imagined her head high in pride.

"Don't send me into an active volcano, again,” he said with a sigh, rubbing his rear at the...hot memory,while Olympius chuckled at his side.

"I had heard of the hotfoot before, but that was ridiculous,” the evil demon prince said, causing Seth to drive an elbow into his side, making Olympius double over at the assault.

"I hope you hit him," AGI said, her tone cold.

"I did. Let me suit up, and I will be right there,” he said, hanging up the call and putting his hands together. In an instant, a dark aura mixed with gold and purple covered him entirely before vanishing. Seth reappeared dressed in a suit similar to the one the Evil Wind Academy used, but colored with dark gold and navy. A darkened metal arm guard ran along his left side while a hood and face mask protected his identity.

Olympus gave his rival's battle suit a nod before leaning back and studying the odd symbol on his back.

"What does that symbol mean on your back? I have always wondered." He asked, stroking his chin, perplexed. In response, Seth just pulled a small pellet out of his sleeve.

"Monster." And in a puff of smoke, vanished. Olympius just stared at where his friend was standing before walking back to his palace. Having worried his butler for far too long as he made a very astute observation.

"Humans are weird." 

**…**

"Transdimensional Quantum Physics is still a very new field," AGI said, in her cyber organic form, the size and shape of a garden snake wrapped around Seth's neck like a necklace as he started to climb out of the hole the portal had dropped him in.

"I understand that,” he said with a grumble, thankful for his cybernetic enhancements. His journey already off to a...stellar start, he could say.

"And we are in the right dimension. Close to our target, in an enemy-free environment, and so far, we have gone undetected,” she continued, lifting her head, flicking out her tongue, and checking the grid energy around them from anomalies. "Honestly, you should be praising me for my limited error."

Hearing this, Seth stopped for a minute before gathering his energy and, with a leap that could only be called superhuman, left the crater. Landing with all the skill of a ninja, he looked down at AGI, who sheepishly looked away.

"Thank you, Agi. For landing me on the darn moon!" he shouted, gesturing at the barren landscape surrounding them. The surface pale and almost reflective around them.

"At least you have a nice view of the earth." She said, looking behind him at their new home for the time being. 

"I have seen the Earth from…" Seth started to say before going silent. His eyes going wide as an intensity appeared in them. Golden orb taking in every last bit of the planet before them. So much color, so much life, and so much potential. ".......there is  _ so much blue _ , he said after being quiet for a good minute. He had traveled to many planets but seeing his homeworld, albeit a different version of it, made his soul stir.

Chuckling at what he said, AGI tenderly rubbed her head against his cheek. Happy upon feeling the joy emanating from his core. Just then, a shiver ran down Seth's spine.

"Incoming!" AGI shouted as Seth formed a small dome of dark energy around them. Laser fire raining around them, the shield protecting them from danger. And that wasn't all that fell from the sky.

_ Are those Cogs?  _ Seth asked himself as the mechanical soldiers jumped for a troop carrier.  _ But they look...outdated.  _

"By order of King Mondo, you are to surrender to the Machine Empire for detainment and execution to relieve King Mondo's boredom,” a Cog said, readying a blaster as it marched forward—a small squad behind it.

"I have a lot of questions. But I doubt you would answer," Seth said, launching himself forward with enough speed; he was a blur. AGI wrapped around his neck for dear life. In an instant, he was airborne as he delivered a flying kick to the lead Cog sending him flying back into his squad. Flipping backward from the lift, he landed in a crouch, eyes flashing gold as he flexed his fingers.

Making his hands like claws, he charged the robots. Unleashing a series of heavy blows on the Cogs. Each impact sent a Cog flying as his superhuman strength and skill made quick work of them. Backstepping, he low kicked a Cog behind him, sweeping it off its feet before throwing a side kick that destroyed its inner workings. Whipping around and catching a blade with his gloved right hand, he watched the Cog struggle for a minute to remove its weapon from his grip. Seth gently wagged his finger at the Cog before crushing the blade with his right hand, he robust metal folding like tinfoil in his grasp.

"Heads up!” he said before headbutting the Cog, denting its head as it stumbled back, sparking. Finally wising up, the Cogs began to surround him. Seeing this made Seth smile as a deep growl echoed inside him. Crossing his arms, he focused as a golden and dark aura erupted around him.

"I call upon the Beast of my soul. Black Lion, roar!" he shouted as a massive ethereal lion erupted out of him. It's roar shook the air around them, sending Cogs falling to the ground. The Black Lion followed by slamming its claws into them, bits of metal flying into the air as it destroyed them. Then just as it appeared, the Black Lion vanished back inside him, leaving nothing but pieces of the Cogs behind him.

"Well, that takes care of this problem. But why would they claim to be working for that old Tyrant? King Gasket took over when Mondo and those Zeo Power Rangers destroyed each other. Isn't that right, AGI?" Seth asked her as she slithered down his chest and over to the Cog parts. AGI is moving kinds haphazardly across the dirt.

"I believe I have mentioned this at least 23.8 times.  _ Please don't do a ninja streak while you're carrying me!"  _ she hissed, slapping his leg with her tail as she flicked her tongue on a Cog headpiece. Then opening her jaws wide, little teeth lining her mouth, she bit deep into it. Her green and yellow body pulsated as she drained the information from it.

"Gonna be honest, that's unnerving when you do that," Seth said, picking up a fallen sword and swinging it for a minute before frowning. The blade was comfortable in his hand.  _ No spirit or emotion went into this blade. When I am going to find the right sword for my hands? _ Flipping the knife around, he tossed it deep into space as AGI finished up her task.

"Okay. It's memory banks were damaged, so it will take me a few days to process the information. But, I was able to learn a few things,” she said, slithering up his leg to come to rest on his upper right arm.

"Good, bad, or ugh news?" he asked as he kept gazing at the Earth, a smile under his mask despite the confusion inside his head.

"All three. The Good news is the Cogs were here due to a similar energy disturbance that occurred a day ago,” hearing this made Seth frown at the implications. "The ugh news is that upon investigation, they found no footprints, life readings, or any sign of activity."

"I hesitate to ask, but what's the bad news,” he asked, already feeling a familiar sense of dread. AGI was quiet before finally saying the words of doom.

"There are other Power Rangers already on earth."


	2. Chapter 2

"How many?" Seth asked AGI, his fist tightening as he tried to remain in control of the rage and worry filling him at the thought of fighting more Rangers. The Five he was after were enough to destroy the planet alone, and more Rangers just worsened the situation.

"According to the information, it is just one team. I am unsure about which ones, though," she said, looking around at the debris before sighing. "Seth, next time, try to keep them in one piece. The Black Lion Spirit isn't exactly as robot-friendly it seems."

"Hmmm," Seth replied absent-mindedly, holding his chin as he tried to remember the history of the Machine Empire that King Gasket had told him about.  _ Mondo is alive somehow. But… he was destroyed almost at the beginning of the war, by the Zeo Rangers. And these Cogs are too different from the models I know.  _

"Most likely it is the Zeo Rangers. If I recall correctly, they were an outcast group from Eltar. AGI, are there any global defense satellites around Earth?" he asked, trying to make sense out of this situation, which was getting more confusing by the second. In response, AGI flicked her tongue out and closed her eyes, her limited sensors straining.

"None, I can find," she finally said, laying her head on his shoulder. "But I do have the name of a location that shows up a few times in the Cog's memory banks. Angel Grove." 

".... _ The  _ Angel Grove?" He asked incredulously, turning to face the Earth. "What the heck is with this reality?!" He shouted, kneeling and rubbing his head furiously.  _ Angel Grove was the home of Zordon before he was destroyed by the Supreme Ranger. The resulting explosion, while sending a small wave of positive energy through this galaxy, ended up destroying the town. Wait, hang on! That happened before Mondo tried to invade! _

"AGI! We need to get to Angel Groove now and take a look around!" Seth held out his hand, which started glowing with a purple and gold light. A bright purple magic circle appeared around him. "Uthe Sastos!” he chanted, thrusting his hand high in the air… only for the circle to fizzle out of existence. Seth stood there for a moment, desperately wishing for a surprise laser beam to vaporize him as AGI hid her face with her tail.

"Say a word and I turn your 1s and 0s into a belt," he growled, bowing his head as he felt his teacher's spirit sighing.  _ Let's keep practicing magic, but stick to the big spells when I put on the armor. _

"No, please, keep trying,” she giggled, “This is great for my CPU and processors!" She kept laughing until Seth reached over and pinched her mouth together, thankful that his mask hid his blush.

"Just bring out the Space Striker, please," He sighed, removing his fingers. AGI, still smiling impishly, raised her tail and fired a small beam from the tip. The beam formed layers upon layers like a 3-D printer as she brought Seth's ride out from her cyber storage. It was a dirt bike, if a dirt bike had decided to pile on twenty pounds of muscle. It retained the lean, bare exterior, but boasted a larger and bulkier engine compartment. Twin exhaust pipes lined both sides of the engine, red fire erupting from them. For a vehicle designed by Seth and Evox, it was dangerously minimalist despite being painted in garish golds and purples and highlighted by more muted greys. 

The bike floated a few inches off the ground, the wheels pivoting sideways as it awaited its rider. Seth approached it slowly, grinning under his mask as he remembered finding the frame and dragging it to Evox's workshop and ignoring AGI’s impatient fidgeting.  _ For some reason, AGI never understood the sacred bond between a man and his sweet, sweet flying motorcycle. _

"I worked on this baby for months after training," he said as he hopped on the bike, revving the engine and being rewarded with a jet of fire from the exhaust.  _ To quote Master Scorch, little things like this make life worthwhile. _

"Angel Grove coordinates locked. Fastest route confirmed." AGI slid down, splitting the end of her tail in half and settling into a swirl indent between the handlebars. "Are we really going to Angel Grove, after what happened last time?"

For a moment, Seth recalled the massive wasteland he knew as Angel Grove. Nothing but dead trees, sand, and broken Zords as far as the eye could see, and home to one particularly nasty crazed robot.

"I doubt we will have to deal with any crazed lion machines," he commented as a helmet materialized on his head. The Space Striker started to lift off, and with another rev of the engine they were off. 

"More likely _ fully _ sane machines that want to rip us to shreds," AGI sighed back. "If we survive re-entry, the first order of business will be to get a lay of the land, find a base of operations, and acquire local tech."

"Sounds like a plan,” Seth replied shortly as they rocketed towards Earth. “Since we don't know where the Five are, the sooner we have a booster for your scanner, the better."

**…**

Lt. Jerome Stone was having, for the first time in a while, a lovely and quiet day on patrol.  _ No monsters, no natural disasters, no alien invasions, and most importantly, Bulkmeiner and Skullovitch haven't given me a headache so far! _ This thought alone made him smile as he pulled up to a stoplight on the outskirts of town, his police cruiser idling in the empty back roads.

"I should stop by Ernie's for lunch," he mused. A familiar country song came onto the radio, and Stone started singing along as the roar of a motorcycle pulled up next to him.

Turning his head, he gave the armored ninja and odd snake straddling the space bike a friendly wave, which they returned after a moment.  _ What a polite pair, _ he thought, pleased by their reaction. _ Some people could take a lesson or two from them. _ He went back to watching the light, still singing along with the radio, when what he just saw actually registered.  _...Wait, what?! _

Whipping around so fast his hat went flying, Lt. Stone saw… a young man wearing a jacket on a motorcycle. There was no snake, no armor, and the bike wasn't flying, he was… 99% sure of it. The biker didn't make any more eye contact, and took off as soon as the light changed.

_ I… I might be working too much, _ Lt. Stone thought as watched the motorcycle disappear around a bend before starting the drive to Ernie's. He needed a smoothie and some cool air.

**…**

  
  


"So… we might want to keep the Space Striker in land mode to not unnerve the locals. It seems their technology isn't in space travel yet," AGI said from her new position around Seth's neck as they rode through the suburbs. Seth just mumbled and nodded, looking everywhere but the road as he took in the strange surroundings.  _ These houses are very weird. Where are all the fire pits, the bone shrines, and the meat eating plant gardens? _

"Hey, AGI? These are all… earthlings, right?" He asked, stopping at a street sign and watching the people walk in front of him. "These are my species? They aren't aliens like Karone or her people?" Hearing his question, AGI discreetly peeked her head out of his sleeve and scanned a nearby person, already knowing the answer but aware of what it meant to check for her companion.

"Yes, Seth. These people were all born and raised on earth. They are your people," she said with a smile, winding her way back up his arm. Seth couldn't help the large smile that made its way across his face. "You know, according to old records and Creator, earthlings would gather in large maintained fields they called parks. We should be able to find one ahead soon. Everything appears fine, so it wouldn't hurt to make a detour." Seth was tempted, he could admit that, but… work came first.

"We should get busy finding the Five, learning what we can about our current situation and securing a base,” Seth argued. “We don't have time for…" Before he could get any further, AGI laid down the magic words.

"They have clean water drinking machines called water fountains." Before she could even finish the sentence, Seth was already rocketing forwards, as he searched for one of those parks and its mythical water fountain. Before too long, he found one, and came to a stop. Taking off his helmet, Seth for the first time got a full view of his surroundings, what he saw amazed him.

Kids were playing. Earth children were playing with each other without a care in the world. Teenagers were either lounging around doing homework, listening to music, or just tossing a ball around. Elders sat on benches or walked around as they watched the younger generation. And in the center of it all was a water fountain, the water so clean and beautiful as it danced in the fountain with shiny coins lining it's bottom. Seth had seen clear water on other worlds, but this was water from  _ his _ world, water that his people had lived on.

"No.” AGI looked up at him in surprise as he spoke. “This isn't my world," he said, looking down at his feet but only seeing the wasteland of his home reality. "This is what my world used to be, what my world was supposed to be, before  _ they  _ ruined it. They ruined it just like they ruined everything else!" Gloved hands tightened against the bike's handlebars as Seth tried to remain in control, angry tears brimming in his now gold-tinged eyes as he leaned forward.

"Heads up!" Surprise washing away his rage, Seth looked up to see a strange object inches from his face. With superhuman speed, he plucked the peculiar thing out of the air just before it hit him.  _ What is this thing?  _ Seth wondered as he studied the orb’s peculiar white markings, eyes automatically returning to their green hue as his rage filtered away.

"Excuse me, sir, sorry we almost hit you. Can we have our football back please?" A little girl in overalls, barely up to his waist in height, nervously walked up to the bike and stared up at him. Seth blinked, looked at her then the ball, then smiled gently.

"Sure I will. If you and your friends don't mind teaching me football?" he asked, getting off the bike and kneeling next to her, stealthily wiping the tears from his eyes in the process and causing her to smile back. AGI, wrapped around Seth's arm under his jacket, smiled happily as she heard her brother relaxing for the first time in days. She decided to take this opportunity to sift through her data banks and run another scan.  _ Let's see what old Mondo’s up to. _

**…**

"I’m about to start throwing my so-called advisors into the recycling bin if I don't get some answers!" Mondo roared as paced around his observation room. His family nearby, used to such outburst, merely went about their business, barely sparing their patriarch a glance. Klank and Orbus, the advisors in question, couldn't help but look at the recycle bin, which was currently glowing red-hot, enough to melt the nearby Cogs. Also visible were the massive grinding spiked rollers and the steam presses, all of which were, as per Royal Decree, on fire.

"Now now, dear, remember your oil pressure." Queen Machina chided, cooling her feeling sensors with her fan in the process.

"I feel like the recycle bin should also have acid showers installed, Dad. Which should be on fire too!" Prince Sprocket laughed as he fired his later rifle at passing Cogs. "Oh, boy, headshot! That's ten points!" 

"Capital idea, my intelligent little boy! We will make a tyrant out of you yet!" Mondo replied, slamming his staff into the ground. "Now, all my advisors step forward!"

"Ummm, your Majesty? I do believe Orbus and I are the only advisors you have," Klank said, rubbing his hands together nervously as he approached his king while still trying to stay out of range of his staff.

"I abdicate from my position." Orbus instantly hopped off of Klank's shoulder, self-preservation subroutines kicking in as King Mondo pointed his staff at Klank. Power crackled along the length of it as the remaining Royal Advisor was backed up against the railing in a familiar situation.

"Then you had better explain quickly. What were those strange energy readings? Why was a group of Cogs found destroyed without my permission? And where is my pre-invasion cup of antifreeze?!" He shouted, clearly seconds away from kicking Klank onto the conveyor belt for the recycle bin.

"Y-y-your Majesty, please a moment! We are currently rummaging the memory banks of the destroyed Cogs and should have information for you soon,” the advisor babbled desperately, before falling back on his tried and true method of surviving. “U-until then, why not enjoy the destruction of Angel Grove? The destruction and pure terror of innocents running from your army usually brightens your day."

"Oh yes, darling, let us watch the Cogs destroy Angel Grove,” Machina said, slapping her fan against her hands. “And then later, we can rub it in Rita and Zed's ugly fleshy faces." Mondo looked at his beloved Queen for a long moment, finally nodding to her suggestion.

"Excellent idea. The Cogs should be there in a moment. While I do this, Klank! Make yourself useful for once and call General Venjix from his campaign in the western galaxy! I wanted him here yesterday!" He shouted, smacking the robot with his unpowered staff. "I need someone here I can trust who’s good with a blaster! Besides, of course, my precious metal here." He patted his son on head, who for his part laughed and kept destroying random Cogs with all the joy of a tyrant prince.

"Right away, your supreme alloy!" Klank said, bowing and grabbing Orbus as he made his way out the door. None of them noticed the glowing crimson eyes hiding in the shadows, which narrowed in concentration before melting away.

**…**

  
  


"Bye, Seth!" The kids shouted, waving goodbye to the man, who collapsed on a nearby bench as they walked with their parents back home. The parents offered him a knowing look as they guided their children away. 

"Give me a spar with Master Scorch any day over playing with a group of kids. Demon, magical, or machine, children always seem to have a method to tire anyone out." Seth moaned, smiling despite his protests as he laid there, watching the beautiful blue sky as clouds rolled by.  _ I wish Mom could be here to see this,  _ he thought. Although he had seen so little of this world, he loved it already.  _ But there are Power Rangers already here and… I need to be strong enough to beat them. No matter what. _

Sitting up with a sigh, he reached into his vest and pulled out the bundle. In this moment, it felt much heavier than he’d known it to be.

"You won't go their way if you use it.” As usual, AGI seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. “You are honorable, kind, and noble of spirit. You're not evil," she said, moving out of his sleeve and resting her head against his face. Seth didn’t say anything back, instead unwrapping the bundle to reveal a sheathed red and light purple dagger with his symbol near the hilt.

"You know how to activate it, right?" AGI asked as he held the morpher out, letting the light shine off of it.

"Yeah. Knife, Morpher, and wand all in one. Our family was a group of geniuses, weren't they?" Seth replied idly, focused on studying his Monster Morpher. 

"I wouldn't say Lothor wasn't a genius, but he definitely was eccentric," AGI commented, looking away slightly as she scratched her head with the end of her tail. 

"I feel like he would want me to argue, but this is one of the few times you're completely right." Seth grinned at the memories of the old grandmaster as he stood up and walked over to his bike.

"You’re right not to argue," she said with a smirk as she moved back around his neck, and then what he said actually registered. "Wait a minute! One of the few times?" She hissed, tightening slightly around his neck. Seth ignored her, though, in favor of the nearby drinking fountain. Leaning over, he pressed the button and just watched the clear water flow for a moment before taking a long drink. 

"Oh, by the underworld, that is delicious," He said, standing up with a satisfied sigh and wiping the water off his mouth. AGI was just about to say something in response when her entire body went stiff.

"Seth, Grid surge detected. People just morphed outside of town." Seth's eyes widened, then turned gold as he mentally made the switch back to combat mode. Dashing back to his bike, he quickly started it up and made a beeline for the nearest alley. A dark aura surrounding him the second he was out of sight, he threw on his ninja outfit as quickly as possible while AGI took her place on the front. With a roar from his thrusters, they took to the sky, ready for battle. Seth never noticed the odd couple watching him from behind some dumpsters, but AGI wasn't so narrow viewed. Right now, though, a giant golden monkey and half-camouflaged skeleton weren't a priority. The Rangers were, and they needed to be dealt with now.

**…**

"Zeo Power Kick!" Tommy shouted, delivering a powerful flying kick to the remaining Cog and sending it flying back onto a heap of other broken bots with a boot imprint on its chest. The survivors of King Mondo's invasion squad grabbed as many of their missing limbs as possible before booking it to the gate that brought them here.

"We're back, guys!" He shouted as the other newly-empowered Zeo Rangers grouped around him, ready for another fight. 

"Great job, everyone," Billy’s voice said over their communicators. “I’m monitoring the scanners for any more enemy forces in the area.” Even though it sucked that his friend didn’t get his powers back, it still reassured Tommy to know that they still had someone reliable as mission control. 

"Thanks, Billy. We’ll teleport back in a minute. We just gotta clean up; don't want to leave anything dangerous around," Tommy said as the others started to get to work.

"You know, I think Blue looks better on me than Red ever did," Rocky commented, looking down and knocking some dust off of his suit.

"Speak for yourself, Rocky. I actually kind of miss my Frog," Adam said, starting a pile of Cog parts. "It’s gonna take me a bit to get over it."

"Oh what's wrong, Adam?" Tanya asked, slinging an arm over his shoulder. "Feeling a little green around the gills?" The Yellow Ranger was grinning under her helmet as the horrible joke got a groan from the rest of the team.

"All right, guys let's get this–" Tommy started to say before the comm chirped again.

"Tommy, come in!" Billy shouted over the comms, startling the Rangers with the urgency in his voice. "You h&$:# in#&$+$m-" Before he could continue, a burst of static cut him off.

"Billy? Billy, come in!" Tommy shouted, scanning the sky for threats as the rest of the team dropped what they were doing and grouped up.

"Sorry about that, Rangers." An unknown female voice was what spoke up instead. "But we don't want anyone uninvited. Oh, and don't bother trying to teleport. Bad manners to leave before the guest of honor arrives."

"Who is this?" Tommy asked, concern growing by the minute. No one had ever hacked their comms before, not to mention preventing their teleporting!

"My creator named me Adaptive Grid Interface. My friends and family simply call me AGI," the voice replied, smirk audible as she spoke. "But at this juncture, there is a better name for me: a distraction."

In that moment, green laser fire rained down from the sky, blowing the Rangers off their feet with a large explosion. Shouts of pain filled the air as their suits deflected most of the damage, but not the pain. Rising to their feet, Rocky noticed something or someone walking towards them.

"Tommy, is that what I think it is?" He asked his leader as the dust cleared to reveal a shape that they were all familiar with.

"A ninja?" Kat asked, hand moving towards her blaster.

"The guest of honor," Tommy deduced, getting to his feet and assuming a battle stance. A pit formed in his stomach as a sense of deja vu came over him. "What do you want?" He shouted at the approaching figure, who paused his advance.

"The destruction,” the figure replied, “Of the Power Rangers." To Tommy’s shock, the man pulled out a short dagger, spinning it in his left hand as he brought it across his chest. That symbol, it could only be… but there was no way!

"Darkness Soar!" He shouted coating his hand in a dark aura. A strong wind blew behind him that chilled the Rangers to the bone, even through their protective suits. He grabbed the dagger’s hilt with his glowing hand, causing the symbol on it to shine with a harsh light.

"Monster Roar!" He yanked the dagger out, blade pointing towards the sky as energy poured out, forming a massive tornado of dark power to encircle him. Dark wind buffeted the Rangers as the tornado grew, an impassable cylinder stretching up to the heavens. Then with a final burst of light, it was gone, and all that was left was…

"Bearing the power of the Gentle Darkness, body and mind tempered by the hands of love, the Monster Ranger Roars!"

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about this. The picture of Seth's Ranger uniform is posted in the Space Battles thread, and I have no idea how to post pictures here.

**Author's Note:**

> Good evening all~ While working on chapter 4 I am gonna be moving the first three chapters of Monster Mirror over here from Spacebattles. Don't forget to kudo, comment and ask any questions you may have.


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